Who are we now; Reality Reassessment
There are many things different these days, and especially in the last two years. What isn’t different, is that we are constantly and consistently changing with every single relationship and life experience. The facts are in that most of America is living with some form of depression.
Depression among adults in the United States tripled in the early 2020 months of the global coronavirus pandemic — jumping from 8.5 percent before the pandemic to a staggering 27.8 percent. New research from Boston University School of Public Health reveals that the elevated rate of depression has persisted into 2021, and even worsened, climbing to 32.8 percent and affecting 1 in every 3 American adults. ( https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/depression-rates-tripled-when-pandemic-first-hit/ ) -The Lancelot Regional Health-Americas Journal
When is the last time you checked in with yourself? Or examined your choices, where you were at with your goals, and assessed your mental health? As Americans, and myself a parent, we have a tendency to just keep going, powering through all situations and issues, not stopping to recuperate from what has happened to us, to mourn or grieve our losses or our failures, or even just to let what’s happened catch up to us. We just smoosh it right down, tucking it away somewhere in our hearts and minds, and keep right on rolling.
I don’t know about any of you, but the ‘80’s called, and said “WhatchutalkinboutWillis”…keep right on rolling after a pandemic? After being locked in our homes, losing our jobs, fighting for supplies; while protests raged, elections were all over the place, public information was disallowed, and mandates about how we could gather and masks were being made law every day. How could anyone possibly just keep rolling right along with going through that? Certainly that is going to leave an effect on most people in some way, shape or form. Whereas in past decades, when we had a major event that affected all Americans, like the Twin Towers Attack, people discussed the mental pressure that put us all under. We TALKED ABOUT IT, we checked on each other, and we were undulated with research and therapy galore about self-mental care. Today’s American doesn’t do any of that. They endure. They survive. And they keep on keeping on.
Most of them anyways. While these statistics are frightening, I don’t mean to play into your fears or inadequacies. What I mean to do, is inspire you to consider that you might not be operating at your best, or even at the level you think you are. This life is hard. Consider, you might not be as well as you think you are. If you are seeking therapy, here are some statistics for you.
“A new SWNS research study, conducted by Onepoll on behalf of Vida Health, found that more than one out of every six Americans started therapy for the first time in 2020. The study, surveying 2,000 adults in the United States, also reported that 31% either continued or returned to therapy in the last year, 15% are taking some type of medication for their mental health for the first time, and another 15% changed or increased an existing prescription during that same time frame. After the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the Capitol, the numbers of Americans showing symptoms of post traumatic stress rose.” (Bryan Robinson, P. (2022).
The trouble is, most folks just don’t consider therapy, or consider it some type of weakness, even though there are many more folks exposing themselves to therapy now than in my day, there is still a stigma for some, real or imagined. “Perhaps the most startling finding of all in the Onepoll survey was that nearly half (47%) of the respondents believe seeking therapy is a sign of weakness, yet only a quarter (27%) have never been to a therapist in their lifetime, which suggests that mental health care has become a more common experience for many Americans than previously assumed. The 30% who aren’t in therapy said it’s because they don’t think their problems are “big enough,” and 32% said they can “handle their problems on their own.” (Bryan Robinson, P. (2022).
None of us know how to handle the type of issues this pandemic has left a lot of us with, its new for all of us. That levels the playing field. Realizing that in today’s world, there is really little social stigma with receiving therapy, and in fact, its widely celebrated as a healthy thing to do; should be the attitude of all of us. Being on top of your self-care, body, spirit, and MIND, is just part of growing older. In fact, its a sign of wisdom, growth, and maturity to be the best YOU that you can be. To give anything less to the rest of the world right now, its not an option.
We owe it to each other, to be trusted, honest, and work toward a solution when it comes to our mental health. Hiding your head in the sand, is become a whole other set of issues, which can be seen by the growing numbers of O.D.’s and Suicides since the pandemic started.
Doesn’t leave us much of an option with those choices hanging over us. Time to assess where you stand, face your demons, get some help, and be a whole human first. THEN we can help our fellow man. But a bunch of mentally sick individuals running around, pretending they are not, is not getting us anywhere. Time to get real folks. If not now? When?
REFERENCES:
Depression Rates in US Tripled When the Pandemic First Hit — Now, They’re Even Worse. (2021). Retrieved 16 January 2022, from https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/depression-rates-tripled-when-pandemic-first-hit/
Bryan Robinson, P. (2022). 47% Of Americans Believe Seeking Therapy Is A Sign Of Weakness. Retrieved 16 January 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2021/02/04/47-of-americans-believe-seeking-therapy-is-a-sign-of-weakness/?sh=6a3f86dd4413
